Dating attachment for labeling machines



' N 10, 1942. c. H. MILLER 2,301,736

DATING ATTACHMENT FOR LABELING MACHINES Filed May 8, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 .Sheets-Shaet 2 Nov. 10, 1-942. c. H. MILLER DATING ATTACHMENT FOR LABELING MACHINES Filed May 8, 1941 Patented Nov. 10, 1942 UNITED STATES DATING ATTACHMENT FOR LABELING MACHINES Charles H. Miller, Chicago, 111. Application May 8, 1941, Serial No. 392,531

3 Claims.

This invention relates to dating attachments for labeling machines and it has for its object to provide a very smoothly operating pneumatic device actuated under control of one of the moving parts of a labeling machine and acting to automatically ink dating characters and to press said characters against the surface of a label to thereby date the containers, such as a can or bottle to which the label is being applied.

The device is so constructed that it may compress its own air or it may utilize an air control valve to admit air to the dating mechanism from a source of air under pressure.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a form of the device adapted to generate its own air supply;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the cylinder of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the elements of the air control valve;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through an air actuated rack which swings the dating head;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5--5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view through an air valve hereinafter described.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 5 designates a supporting casting or bracket upon which an air cylinder 6 is held by a clamp 1. The bracket 5 is suitably secured upon a conventional labeling machine in such proximity to one of the regular cams 8 of the labeling machine that said cam may act against a roller 9. Roller 9 is carried by a swin ing arm l0 disposed to thrust against the end of f a rod II. This rod is moved outwardly by a spring l2 and upon its inner end carries a piston l3. When thrust inwardly as described, air is forced by the piston l3, through a, preferably, flexible hose line H to a cylinder I5.

A piston IS in this cylinder is spring actuated toward the source of air supply by a spring l1. This piston carries a piston rod |8 to which a rack bar I9 is attached. This rack bar meshes with the teeth of a pinion 20, said teeth being carried by a collar 2| and said collar, in turn, carrying the swinging arm 22. A dating head 23 is mounted for a quarter revolution upon the arm 22. A flip spring 24 surrounds arm 22 and engages the dating head and normally holds said dating head in the position illustrated in Fig. 1. At this time dating characters 25 are disposed to contact and date a label when the arm is swung outwardly and upwardly in the direction of the arrow 11.

After the dating of a label has been effected, the dating head is retracted or swung downwardly and inwardly. In so doing the arm 22 passes behind an offset portion 26 of a shoe 21 that is secured to an assembly plate 28 upon which the parts are mounted. When this occurs, the tip of the part 26 strikes an offset arm 23 of the dating head and turns said arm through a quarter revolution and against the action of the flip spring, to cause the dating characters 25 to face toward the assembly plate and pass over a felt hiking roller 2%. The dating characters are removably mounted in a groove X of the dating head to be changed at will.

The structure comprising cylinder l5 and the dating arm pneumatically operated thereby, may derive its source of power either from a cylinder and piston such as 6 and I3, actuated by the labeling machine itself or the labeling machine may merely actuate the control valve of a separate source of air supply, such a valve being shown in Fig. 6. In this case, a moving part of the labeling machine, such as a cam 8, may act against a roller 30 that is carried by a valve plunger 3|.

Air is delivered from the interior of this plunger through a flexible hose, to the cylinder IS. The nipple of this hose, indicated at 33, moves with the plunger in a slot 34 of the valve casing 35. Thus the nipple 33 serves the double function of preventing the roller from twisting laterally and of establishing communication between the valve plunger 3| and cylinder l5.

When the plunger is thrust inwardly by the action of the moving part upon roller 39, a valve 36 is forced from its seat so that air from any suitable source, delivered through 31, may pass through conduit 33 in stem 39 to the tube 33. At this time the conical valve at M) is closed.

When the action or the moving pal-t \such as the cam 8), upon the roller 3, ceases, a spring 5| acts to thrust plunger 3| outwardly and thus slightly separates this plunger from stem 39. This permits the exhaust of air from cylinder l5 past the conical valve seat 40 and out of a vent 42. The valve 36 is spring actuated to its seat by spring 43 and the throw of the parts is such that valve 36 seats before plunger 3| has reached its limit of movement outwardly under the influence of spring 4|. Upon initial inward movement of plunger 3|, conical valve 40 is closed to cut off communication with vent 42 before the air valve 36 is unseated.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth, but

that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come Within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a cylinder and piston 01' a conduit for introducing air into said cylinder in a direction to move, said piston in one direction, a spring for moving the piston in the other direction, a rack bar connected to said piston, a pinion with which said rack bar meshes, a rod supported from said pinion and adapted to be bodily swung by the action of said pinion, a dating head mounted to turn upon said rod, an

inking roller, a spring tending to turn the dat-v ing head upon the rod in one direction, means acting to turn the dating head in the other di-' exhaust the air in said the means for supplying air to rection and into position to engage the inking roller and means for supplying air under pressure to said conduit.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for supplying air to the conduit comprises a cylinder, a piston therein, a spring for moving said piston in one direction and means for moving said piston in the other direction.

3. A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein said conduit comprises a source of air supply and a control valve disposed between said source of air supply and the conduit for periodically connecting the conduit with the source of connecting said conduit with the atmosphere to cylinder.

CHARLES H. MILLER. 

